Thomas Henry Owen and Brian Clarke Hill were yesterday given two-month jail sentences. The pair’s lawyer immediately announced that they would appeal the sentence.

“Good. I’m glad they’re appealing. And I hope their sentences are considerably increased for their troubles,” Mr Alexander said.

“The fact is that this little girl had her face half ripped off, and may well suffer for the rest of her life because someone decided that a dog already known to be dangerous should be allowed to run loose around children in a public park.

“This total irresponsibility was bad enough, but it was topped off by the display of cowardice and self-interest that saw Owen give false details at the time of the attack, and then go into hiding with Hill for several days.

“With two months, they’ve got off lightly. How does that compare to Carolina’s sentence?”

Ends.